The Medium is one of our highly anticipated titles for this month, being the first true Xbox Series X|S exclusive to grace the system while being available on the PC. Moreover, it is being offered with a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, fulfilling the promise made during the Xbox Showcase that all first party titles will be available on the service on launch.

The Final Preview just dropped, revealing almost 15 minutes of gameplay footage, showing the interplay between the parallel worlds ashighlighted in its many trailers. I would divide the trailer into three parts showing the distinct gameplay mechanics of the game and what to expect.

Take note that if you’re expecting Resident Evil or Silent Hill action in this game, I would say take it down a notch and expect more on an Alan Wake vibe, which utilizes more Clock Tower adventure options.

The first part of the preview is more cinematic than gameplay, as it shows how the game seamlessly weaves through the already cinematic looking gameplay into its more obvious cinematics showing the mystery of the hotel our protagonist Mary Anne is investigating. As we return to the gameplay, it shows how the dual world mechanic is being utilized, where we could see a viewpoint from the corporeal world and what Mary Anne sees in the astral world in split screen.

Gameplay-wise, it is a lot more investigative in nature while you solve puzzles that span both worlds. You can enter an out-of-body mode where you give your astral projection more control enabling her to interact with spirit wells giving you energy to interact with objects you’re unable to access in the astral world. Judging from the trailer, you have more agency in the real world during the dual-mode where you’re given reference to the astral world instead of interaction.

The second part of the trailer shows more control in the astral world where it is revealed that you could access it through a portal where you have full control of the astral realm where both your corporeal and astral forms are present. Also while you have full access to the astral realm, all its dangers are also present in that world.

The final part of the trailer shows a stealth mission where you avoid a hostile spirit attacking the protagonist in the corporeal world. You could hide from the spirit by holding your breath and outsmarting it by triggering distractions as you make your escape. Just like in the early parts of Death Stranding, you’re left to your wits and stealth to get yourself to safety.

It’s certainly interesting, and something that we’re very eager to try out to see first hand what Bloober Team can make out of the next-gen hardware.

The Medium is available on January 28th exclusively on Xbox Series X|S and on the PC.